Inside the South Beach Diet

The South Beach Diet was developed in the 1990's by cardiologist Arthur Agatston and dietician Marie Almon. Initially it was developed as a healthy heart diet aiming to help their patients lower their risk of heart disease. Rapidly however it became popular as an effective weight loss plan. The South Beach Diet does not clam to be a traditional low-carb diet. The focus is on controlling insulin levels and the benefits of unrefined slow carbohydrates as opposed to fast carbohydrates.

Dr. Agatston develop the plan as a result of his belief that the low fat, high-card diet backed by the American Heart Association was not effective over the long term. The South Beach Diet puts a lot of emphasis on selecting the right carbohydrates including whole grains, lean meats, fruits and vegetables, and the appropriate fats such as canola and olive oils. Many dieters enjoy the South Beach Diet because they are not hungry; in fact the plan encourages them to eat in between meals. The South Beach Diet has three phases.

Phase 1 Kick starting the weight loss process.

This phase lasts two weeks and includes three balanced meals per day including snacks. In order for this phase to be successful dieters are suppose to eat snacks in between meals even if they are not hungry. The philosophy is that if they are not very hungry at the next meal they will not over eat. For these two weeks normal sized portions of the following are eaten at meals:

Lean Meats
Chicken and Turkey
Fish and Shellfish
Vegetables
Beans and Nuts
Reduced Fat Cheese
Eggs

During these two weeks there are some strict guidelines on what foods not to eat, some of them are reintroduced in Phase 3. Restricted from the diet in this phase are:

Bread, Rice, Potatoes, and Pasta
Baked Goods
Fruit
Sugar
Alcohol
Cakes, Candy, Ice Cream, and Cookies


Phase 2 Aiming for the goal weight and eating the right carbohydrates.

There is no time limit for this phase. The critical point of this phase is the reintroduction of carbs back into the diet, the right carbs. Whole grain breads, whole grain pastas, and most fruits contain the right carbs needed for this diet to be a success. They are introduced slowly, one card to one meal per day for one week. The dieter will continue to lose weight and will stay in this phase until they are eating three servings of good carbs per day and they have reached the targeted weight.

Phase 3 Adopting a lifestyle.

After the dieter has achieved their desired weight they go to this phase which is a maintenance phase. It is mostly about continuing with making smart choices and not forgetting the practices from the first two phases.

Does the South Beach Diet work?

The diet does work and has proven to be one of the most successful plans introduced this decade. It works well for the long term and reduces the risk of diabetes, high cholesterol, and heart disease. Participants enjoy that they do lose weight without being hungry which also relieves a lot of stress, a problem that can happen with other plans. Overall the dieter will experience a healthier life with the principles of the South Beach Diet.

Scott Henderson resides today in South Korea. He enjoys writing and other projects. One of Scott's latest projects is windturbinesforthehome.org windturbinesforthehome.org a website devoted to wind power and how to obtain windturbinesforthehome.org/Wind_Power_Kits.html wind power kits.